The driver accused of causing the death of pedal cyclist Ronville Roberts along the Kuru Kururu, Soesdyke/Linden Highway, was yesterday remanded to prison by acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.
The allegation against Saheed Ali, 26, is that on January 25, he drove a motor lorry, bearing licence plate GLL 319, in a manner dangerous to the public, thereby causing the death of 55-year-old Roberts, who lived at Kuru Kururu. Additionally, Ali is accused of failing to render assistance to Roberts after the accident or taking him to a registered medical practitioner. The miner denied both charges when they were read to him at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
Police Sergeant Lionel Harvey said that the accused had stopped on the northern side of the road when he reversed and hit Roberts, who was behind the vehicle at the time. After hitting the victim, Harvey said that he then fell to the ground and was smashed by the rear wheel, which ran over him. Roberts was later rushed to the hospital where he subsequently died.
After the incident, the court was told, Ali then drove away to a sand pit, located some four miles away, where he abandoned the vehicle. He was, however, arrested and charged after police investigations were conducted.
Attorney Vic Puran, who represented Ali, refuted the arguments advanced by the prosecution, contending that his client was innocent and ready to clear his name.
Puran argued that if the prosecution’s contention is to be given any merit at all, it would show that it is impossible for his client to have hit the deceased, since it would mean that the victim was standing in such a manner behind the vehicle that he could not be seen in the rear view mirrors
He added too that an eyewitness on the vehicle has since said at no time was the truck involved in an accident. Harvey, however, said that there was an eyewitness who said that the man was killed by the reversing truck.
According to Puran, the police have instituted charges against his client because they have said that blue paint from his client’s truck was found on the victim’s cycle. Puran advanced that he found it strange that no blood spatter was seen at the scene of the supposed accident. Counsel then made an application for his client to be admitted to reasonable bail.
The prosecution objected to bail, saying that since the accused drove away and left the victim after the accident, there is a possibility of him being flight risk. Puran, however, said that the only reason his client left the truck while at the sand pit was to purchase to food. “He did not abandon it [the vehicle],” he stressed.
After listening to the case, the accused was informed that he would be remanded to prison. The matter was transferred to the Providence Magistrates’ Court for January 30.
